This invention relates to specific flavor compositions useful in augmenting or enhancing the aroma or taste of "hot" beverage powder mixes or smoking tobaccos or substitute smoking tobaccos. The smoking tobacco compositions as well as the "hot" beverage powder mixes when consumed in their proper respective environments have flavors with good initial strengths which flavors are controllably released (under the conditions of admixing with a hot consumable liquid, e.g. ethanol or water or combinations thereof or under conditions of smoking tobacco pyrolysis during the smoking activity) at a consistently high level over an extended period of time; and to processes for preparing such specially useful smoking tobacco and substitute smoking tobacco flavoring compositions as well as such specially useful hot beverage compositions and hot beverage flavoring compositions.
There has been considerable work performed relating to smoking tobacco or substitute smoking tobacco substances which have a flavor impact both initially and over an extended period of time during the smoking activity. Problems have arisen in attempting to create such flavor compositions for use with smoking tobacco wherein part of the flavor is available for immediate results whereas another part provides the effect of such smoking tobacco flavor or substitute smoking flavor gradually over extended periods of time. Such problems include the continuous distribution of "initial impact" and "extended release" flavor over the entire mass of the smoking tobacco or substitute smoking tobacco as well as commercial manufacture of same.
Indeed, in using menthol in flavoring tobacco, the menthol is applied on tobacco by spraying an alcoholic solution of menthol crystals thereon. The usual amount of menthol used is 0.3% by weight of the total spray composition. When menthol is used in this manner, however, the smoking articles insofar as their flavor value is concerned have unsatisfactory shelf lives.
Furthermore, there has been considerable work performed relating to hot beverage substances which have a flavor impact both initially and over an extended period of time after addition of the hot edible liquid (e.g., water, ethanol or a combination of water and ethanol) to the beverage flavor powder, for example problems have arisen in attempting to create such flavor compositions for use with beverage powders wherein part of the flavor is available for immediate results whereas another part provides the effect of such flavor gradually over extended periods of time. Such problems include the continuous distribution of "initial impact" and "extended release" flavor over the entire length of time of drinking the hot beverage as well as commercial manufacture of same.
In an analogous manner U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,001,438 and 3,920,849 have presented solutions to such problems where other consumable materials are concerned. Thus, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,849 are orally utilizable compositions which may be either chewing gum compositions, chewable medicinal tablets, chewing tobacco or toothpaste having, on oral intake, a high flavor intensity release, substantially evenly and uniformly, over an extended oral utilization time in the mouth cavity; the orally utilizable compositions containing a non-confined flavor oil, a flavor oil which is physically entrapped in solid particles and a suspending agent such as silica, xanthan gum and ethyl cellulose; the non-confined flavor oil, the entrapped flavor oil and the suspension agent being premixed prior to addition to either of the chewing gum base, the chewing tobacco or the chewable medicinal tablet base or to the toothpaste base. Neither U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,849 nor U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,438 discloses the use of such materials for flavoring consumable materials which are consumed at temperatures significantly greater than ambient temperatures, e.g. smoking tobacco and hot tea, hot coffee or alcoholic beverages which include hot aqueous tea extracts or hot aqueous coffee extracts.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,526,039 teaches that if an essential oil or flavoring is combined with a chewing gum base in a finely divided condition, and the particles of the flavoring or oil are encased in a suitable covering so as not to contact the gum directly during manufacture, the deleterious effect of the flavoring on the gum is prevented or largely reduced. It is further stated therein that:
"When the emulsion is added to the gum base, it is thoroughly mixed therewith by the usual means employed for mixing the flavoring material with such base. PA1 The production of the emulsion serves to break up the essential oil into fine particles and to encase these particles in the emulsifying material, so that when the emulsion is added to the gum mass, the essential oil to a large degree is prevented from coming into direct contact with the base, and from having deleterious action thereon." PA1 "It is now possible to obtain a flavoring composition, particularly adapted for use in chewing gum which permits attainment of a product characterized by extended flavor perception time, true flavor character, and release of a large proportion of flavoring agent. This flavoring composition comprises finely divided particles of a dried hardened gelatin emulsion containing discrete microdroplets of a volatile, water-immiscible flavoring agent. Preparation of the flavoring composition of this invention may be effected by encapsulating discrete microdroplets of volatile, water-immiscible flavoring agent within finely divided particles of a dried emulsion of hardened gelatin." PA1 "A chewing gum containing a flavoring composition characterized by an extended flavor perception time, true flavor character, controlled release of a large portion of flavoring agent, and reduction in amount of flavor oil required (which) may be prepared by the process comprising forming a gelatin-coacervated flavor, and substantially uniformly distributing said gelatin-coacervated flavor within an all-enveloping mass of a chewable gum base. The product chewing gum . . . comprises . . . finely divided particles of coacervated gelatin containing a water-immiscible flavoring agent therewithin and an all-enveloping mass of a chewing gum base within which the particles are substantially distributed." PA1 a. Hercules/Klucel.RTM./hydroxypropyl cellulose published by Hercules Incorporated of Wilmington, Del.; PA1 b. Klug, Vol. 24, No. 51, Food Technology, January, 1970, page 51 entitled: "Functional Helpmate to Development . . . Hydroxypropyl Cellulose/a New Water Soluble Cellulose Polymer"; and PA1 c. U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,521, issued on Oct. 11, 1966 entitled: "Hydroxypropyl Cellulose and Process"/Inventor: Klug.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,440 teaches a method of preparing a chewing gum characterized by "extended flavor perception time, true flavor character, and high degree of flavor release comprising the steps of forming a spray-dried emulsion of a volatile, water-immiscible flavoring agent encapsulated within finely divided particles of gelatin, and substantially uniformly distributing said gelatin encapsulated flavoring agent within an all-enveloping mass of a chewable gum base."
The use of separate "fixed" and "unfixed" flavor portions is also taught but there is not disclosure therein of the principle of this invention, to wit: mixing the fixed and unfixed flavor portions with a suspension agent prior to either (i) adding to a smoking tobacco or substitute smoking tobacco prior to incorporation thereof into a smoking tobacco or substitute smoking tobacco article prior to smoking or (ii) adding to a dry beverage mix formulation prior to addition of hot edible liquid thereto immediately prior to ingestion.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,446 teaches a chewing gum comprising (i) smaller particles of gelatin characterized by faster liberation of flavor and (ii) larger particles of gelatin characterized by slower liberation of flavor, each of the gelatin particles containing dispersed therewithin, in dried emulsion form, discrete micro-droplets of a volatile water-immiscible flavoring agent, and an all-enveloping mass of a chewable gum base within which the particles are substantially uniformly distributed whereby the flavor is released substantially evenly and uniformly over the extended chewing time.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,445 teaches that:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,449 teaches:
The utilization of sustained released flavor containing capsules in such materials as chewing gum and medicinal tablets is also taught in British Pat. No. 1,205,764.
The use of sustained release flavor capsules in conjunction with polyethylene glycols (which are taught to be employed to desolventize the capsules) is set forth in British Pat. No. 1,318,799.
The use of hydroxypropyl cellulose contained in microcapsules especially for pressure sensitive copying paper is disclosed in Japanese Pat. No. J 7 9000 426 claiming a priority of U.S. application Ser. No. 480,956 filed on June 19, 1974 and assigned to the Mead Corporation. In said Japanese Pat. No. J7 9000 426 it is indicated that oil-containing microcapsules especially for pressure sensitive copying paper are prepared by (a) preparing an aqueous solution of hydroxypropyl cellulose containing reactive hydroxyl groups and having a decreasing water solubility as the temperature increases; (b) then preparing a solution of an oil soluble cross-linking agent for the hydroxypropyl cellulose in an oil; then emulsifying the oil solution in the aqueous solution to form an emulsion containing droplets of the oil solution; (c) then heating the emulsion to a temperature above the precipitation temperature of the hydroxypropyl cellulose so that hydroxypropyl cellulose precipitates over the droplets to form solid microcapsule walls and (d) finally maintaining the emulsion at this temperature until the microcapsule walls become insoluble in water and in the oil. Nothing in the Japanese Pat. No. J7 9000 426 discloses the creation of a smoking tobacco composition or a powdered hot beverage composition wherein the flavor thereof is controllably released during the smoking activity or beverage ingestion activity (as the case may be) at a consistently high level over an extended period of time.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,489 the formation of a shredded tobacco material having intimately admixed therewith a micro encapsulated synthetic clove flavoring material (wherein the capsules are of such a size as to create an audible crackling sound when burned) and the incorporation thereof into smoking articles such as cigarettes and cigars is disclosed. It is further disclosed that these capsules may also contain a tobacco flavor enhancer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,730 issued on Aug. 21, 1973 discloses processes for altering the flavors of particulate grain products comprising applying a composition comprising a flavoring agent, an edible cold water insoluble film former and a vehicle to a particulate grain product; drying the distributed composition to form a flavor containing film on the grain product; and then optionally, distributing the coated flavored grain through a large mass of uncoated grain particles.
German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,826,042 published on Jan. 4, 1979 discloses a condiment consisting of a lemon flavored salt prepared by mixing salt and a lemon oil powder and spraying the resulting mixture with lemon oil. More particularly, the salt is admixed with (a) from 0.1 up to 0.5 weight percent of salt of a terpene-free lemon oil bonded to a powdery carrier and (b) terpene-free liquid lemon oil. The condiment is prepared by mixing the dry salt with component a, spraying the mixture with component b and mixing through a screw conveyor.
Hydroxypropyl cellulose itself is described in particular in three publications:
However, the prior art does not set forth commercially feasible processes for creating a smoking tobacco composition of substitute smoking tobacco composition containing a flavoring composition which provides instantaneous evenly distributed flavor release, extended continuous, non-interrupted flavor perception time periods and at the same time provides during the smoking activity, extended constant flavor impact; which is provided by our invention; nor does the prior art teach the creation of a hot beverage mix composition which on admixing with a heated edible liquid yields a high flavor intensity release substantially evenly and uniformly over an extended use period.